


A Soul And Her Window

by skullsntea



Category: Undertale
Genre: Angst, Eventual Smut, F/M, Gore, He’s jealous of papyrus, Not for long tho, Papyrus gets depressed at one point, Reader Is Not Chara, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader-Insert, Underswap Papyrus x Reader - Freeform, Undyne wants you to get with Papyrus the second she meets you, You have a boyfriend, Your ex becomes a stalker, its a shit show ok but you’ll like it, underswap - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:27:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29633238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skullsntea/pseuds/skullsntea
Summary: Your neighbors have become a huge part of your simple life as a secretary for a law firm. Your boyfriend being constantly busy as a bar tender, you grow close with them, considering them friends. But when a tragic accident happens, your life gets turned around and flipped upside down.. Fighting with past lover and fighting for a new one, what is a human girl to do?* Trigger Warning : Major Character Death, Gore, Drugs and Suicide mentioned, Stalkers
Relationships: Underswap Papyrus X Reader
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27





	1. And So It Begins. (Prologue)

Death has never been something that’s heavily affected you before. Typically, you’ve just rolled with the punches that life hurdled at you. When your dad was diagnosed with Cancer, you handled it well. When your grandparents passed, you handled that well too. It’s just.. never hurt you.

“Heya, neighbor.” 

You jumped, started by the deep yet smooth voice of your fellow friend. Ah yes, Papyrus. Of course that cheeky asshole sneak attacks you. You turned your head, grinning back at him. “Well hello to you too, smiley.” 

You moved to your humble abode quite awhile ago. After your father passed, you sold the house and went through the ‘mourning phase’ of his death. Really it was just going through boxes, deciding what was to be kept and what was to be put in storage for the next ten years of your life. Once that was finished, you had found a rather cozy apartment— cozy as in smallish but comfortably small for a single women in her early twenties. While coming across this apartment building, you were graciously warned about your neighbors— told that one was very boisterous and loud while the other would occasionally knock on the wrong door on some late nights. When meeting the two boneheads, you were surprised to find that the brothers weren’t all that bad. 

Rather.. nice individuals who were pretty sweet. Of course, one was at least. 

“I would offer with giving a hand buuut..” He leaned against a dryer, arms crossing. “.. I’m bone tired.” 

Jeez, how many times has that been used? You rolled your eyes, smiling while pulling your freshly cleaned but soaking wet clothes into a dryer. “Ah, how generous of you. I suppose I shall spare you today from my chores.” 

Being playful was your guys thing. Of course, you were playful with Sans but that was different. .. Wait, was it? You paused, thinking about it. Why was it different? 

“Thanks, honey. Hey, by the way, Sans wanted to know if you were up for some take out tonight.” Papyrus must’ve persuaded poor Sans— he never agrees to ‘GREASY, CHEAP FOOD!’, just not his ‘thing’. 

“Oh? And what strings did you have to pull to make that happen?” You glanced at the lanky skeleton through your lashes, lips quirked into a smug grin as he gave a nervous smile back. 

“Strings? Whaaat? You think that low of me? I’m hurt.. no, heartbroken that you would think of me as such!” Papyrus and his acts. He threw his hands up before dropping to his knees and scooted over to you, hands clasped together in prayer. “What ever did I do to make you think of me so terribly?”

You blew some hair out of your face before pushing the ‘start’ button on the dryer, then flicking his forehead. You snatched up your laundry bag, and sauntered away from your silly neighbor. “Tell him I’ll be there in 10, Paps the terrible.”

Softly knocking on the door, you fixed a stray strained of hair hanging in your face. A boisterous monster swung the door open, as per usual, and grinned graciously. “Human!! How wonderful! You’re right on time!!” 

Something that Sans always liked about you— being on time. You assume it’s because of the past with his brother, someone that lacks the skill of being on time. You grinned, Sans gripping your wrist to pull you in before shutting the door and hurrying over into the kitchen. “Good to see you to Sans. Hey— I though we were having take out, unless I was lied to.”

Snapping your gaze to Papyrus who was shuffling into the living room, rubbing his skull. “Don’t worry human! I’m just getting our plates! Go ahead and take a seat, did you pick our movie out?” 

You made a pleased hum, plopping down on the coach next to Papyrus. “Mhm, I watched this movie a few years ago but you guys might like it. It’s on Gulu, so I’ll log in my account.” 

Sans and you chatted for the most part before food arrived. He asked about work and friends, you the same. You worked as a secretary for a Lawyer, something your Boyfriend found you while in your midst of searching apartments. Your boyfriend. Shit, you should text him about what’s going on this evening. Beau was a great guy, but he would really worry about you hanging out with your neighbors on movie nights. Beau worked as a bartender so he was busy for most evenings and sleeper during the day. 

“Hey guys, I’m gonna call Beau and let him know I’ll be busy.” You stood, plucking your phone from the coffee table. Sans glanced at you, setting the plates around the coffee table before taking a seat on the floor. You walked into the hall, sliding into the bathroom for just alittle privacy. “Hey.”

Your tone was enticing, making Beau quip back happily. “Hey babe, what’s up?” 

Here goes nothing.  
“I’m hanging with Sans and Papyrus tonight. We’re gonna watch Jennifer’s Body and have some take out. I just wanted to let you know in case I fall asleep and don’t answer a text.” 

You could hear a deep draw of breath on his end before sighing even deeper. “Don’t you ever hang out with girl friends? Like I get it, they live next to you ‘n stuff but c’mon.. “ 

There it is. Beau has had an issue with Papyrus when he found him in your apartment a couple months ago. Paps forgot his bus pass on your kitchen counter and came in early that morning, waking Beau up. He wasn’t pleased to see another guy in your apartment at 6am. “Beau, you know I don’t hang around with a lot of people. It’s seriously just you and them.” 

You didn’t get along with most girls. They would like to talk shit about everyone and then not say anything to their face— you hated that. Some guys did that too, but you usually hung out with people that spoke their mind.  
“Not true, Snowdrake has a girlfriend. You could hang out with her but you choose not to.” 

You stared at yourself in the mirror. You looked put off, displeased by his comment. “Snowdrake and all of those guys are your friends. I only see them when you invite me to hang out with them..” You sighed, running your fingers through your hair, squeezing your eyes shut in frustration. He can be so jealous sometimes. He knew you were loyal and that you wouldn’t just ‘mess’ around with anyone— let alone people you live right next to. 

“I.. have to go, babe. People are lining up— We’ll talk about this later.” Beau hung up before you could say anything. You laid your phone in the bathroom counter, rubbing your head in stress. This is ridiculous.. why were you stressing? Your boyfriend is just acting weird.. right? This isn’t.. wrong.. is it? Hanging out with to friends that happen to be male? It’s innocent..

You paused, staring at yourself in the mirror. Yes, this was innocent and normal. You’re not going to crumble again because of his jealous behavior. Not again.

Grabbing your phone, you walked back into the living room and sat on the couch. Papyrus picked up your plate, handing it to you with a grin. “Everything alright, Y/N??” Sans looked at you with a concerned expression, but you smiled and waved it off. 

“Yeah, everything’s perfectly fine.” 

You sucked in a deep breath, groaning as you sat up. “Ugh..” Looks like one of the brothers tucked you in last night, how sweet. Your floor was ice cold, which was troublesome for you because you wanted warmth and your feet quickly retracted from the cold before you huffed and pushed forward. Shuffling out of your room and into your kitchen, you froze at the sound of something moving. You glanced over at the couch. 

“...” Beau was sleeping on the couch, tv screen on but nothing playing. You rubbed your eyes and face before walking over to him, placing a hand on his forehead. “.. Beau..” He grunted, before waking and staring up at you. He smiled. “Heeey…”

You pecked his forehead, heading back into the kitchen for some goods. Turning on the keurig, you waited for the coffee to spill graciously into your mug. “Want some coffee?” You called back to your boyfriend, who was back fast asleep on the couch. 

You kissed your teeth in disapproval, but perked up once there was a knock at the door. Sans, for sure. Papyrus never wakes up this early. For some foreign reason Sans wakes up at the crack of dawn for a morning workout and run around town, on his way he picks up donuts for you and Beau (or Papyrus, whoever decided to crash on the couch the previous evening). You don’t complain about the donuts of course, that would be “a mortal sin” according to Papyrus. 

Opening the door, you blinked in confusion. Before confusion twisted into utter concern and panic.  
It was Papyrus, and for once in your life, he looked completely panicked and scared. 

“I-It’s Sans. Something happened.” 

And it was just like that, Death traced and intertwined with your mind like a spider weaving its web to trap its victim. For once in your life— You feared Death.


	2. And Her Hand Withdrew. (Chapter One.)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans in the hospital? Only a recipe for disaster..

The drive to the hospital was nerve-wracking. Papyrus urged you and Beau that he would be okay on his motorcycle, but when you collapsed to your knees, Beau and Papyrus came to one agreement.

This isn’t time for bickering. 

The words echoed in your head, bouncing off the sides of your brain like a million balls let loose in a racquetball court. 

“T-The doctors say he got hit by a car while crossing the street..” Papyrus’ grip on the door frame practically made the paint and wood splinter, his face holding an unreadable expression. An expression he’s never worn before, and that scared you. His words hit you like a brick wall, the breath being knocked out of your lungs as you stood there, completely awake now. 

“I..” Beau gripped your shoulders, talking to Papyrus, asking him what happened and when and where the hospital was. His answers were short as if pre-cut from a cutting board. Once falling to your knees, Beau urged you to try and stand so the three of you could pile into your car and head straight for the hospital. 

Beau weaved in and out of traffic, at one point he even rolled down the window and hollered at the traffic. He didn’t mind Sans. In fact, he liked him. But he knew how much you cared about Sans, how you would tend to him when he was sick. He remembered when you first brought your neighbors up, how the three of you were almost like a mini family. How they took you in and cared for as much as you cared for them. 

He envied that.

Papyrus was gripping your hand tightly, the same as you. You were squeezing it tightly, your anxiety only spiking even higher as the hospital came into view. Freezing in place, you fell into the dark abyss of your mind. It raced with questions even faster than before. Breathing became hard as you thought of the worst possible outcomes. Your throat felt tight, a lump growing harder and harder to get air past it as tears welled up in your eyes. 

The second the car was parked and turned off, you swung the car door open, not even bothering to close it as you raced to the parking lot entrance of the hospital. The doors made a soft whirring noise as they opened, the loud clapping sound of your flip flops slamming against the pavement and hitting the clean linoleum floor of the hospital was interrupted by the peaceful noise. Nurses and patients stared at you and Papyrus, then Beau as the three of you looked cluelessly around. Where would Sans be? How bad was his condition? Was it minor? Were you overreacting?

You ran up to a counter, panting for air as a hot tear rolled down your cheek. “Sa-Sans Comic??” The nurse glanced nervously at the nurse beside her, before speaking.

“.. He’s.. in intensive care unit..”

You didn’t think your heart could drop any more today- but did, and even lower than before. Papyrus gripped the counter tightly while they spoke to him quietly, before slamming his fist onto it. 

“I’M HIS BROTHER!”  
The nurse flinched when he slammed his fist onto the counter before the male nurse rounded the counter and urged Papyrus to follow him quickly. Beau rubbed your arm, tracing it down to your hand before intertwining his fingers with yours, pulling you to a set of chairs so the two of you can take a seat in the waiting room.

Waiting in the waiting room felt like waiting for Christmas a day after it just ended. You stared at the floor, studying the specks of color on the linoleum. You resorted to counting them, anything to get your mind off of as to why you were actually here. Beau slept quietly in the chair, occasionally waking up to check on you or to answer calls from work. You already had him tell your boss the situation which, and bless your boss, was easier than you thought. 

“What are you thinking about?” Beau was now staring straight up at the ceiling. You didn’t say anything first, just watching him out of curiosity. 

“How many specks do you think are on the tile?” 

Beau paused, before sniggering. His head fell, looking at the floor before glancing at you. “Seriously? This is what you resorted to doing? Don’t you have a phone?”

You smiled. But only for a brief moment. The impending doom of answers weighed back onto your shoulders after your small glimpse of humor. You spoke with Beau for a while, even going as far as to discuss which animals are legal in each state. You were desperate, desperate to get your mind off of why you were here. Why it was.. Taking so long to get answers. It was a vicious cycle. Talking about something, laughing, then feeling guilt. You hated it.

Beau was the first to break the ice. “Do you think we should text him?”

You looked at him for a moment in confusion. “Who?”

Before he could speak, Papyrus was walking down the hall. The two of you grew quiet, the anxiety from before began building up with each step he took. He stopped in front of the two of you, hands in his pockets before drawing in a deep breath through his nasal cavity. “They won’t let you smoke in here. Can believe that?” 

Beau gave a deadpan expression as you stifled a laugh. It was such a shitty day- you waited so long for Papyrus to give some insider intel as to what the hell was happening, and this is what he says? Of course, he does.. 

This is him. 

You were staring at his untied shoes, thumbnail in between your teeth and lips as you sat there. Papyrus sighed, fiddling with the pack of cancer in his hands before speaking. “He’s.. stable.” 

Beau spoke before you. “Stable? What the hell does that mean?” 

He was pissed, hands gripping the armrest of the chair in anger as he practically sneered at Papyrus. You gripped his shoulder as if wordlessly saying, ‘dial it back, dude’. Papyrus stuffed the pack into his pajama pants pocket. “It means he’s okay, for now.” 

Beau rose, trying to get eye to eye with Papyrus. Beau was just about 5’9” while Papyrus was 6’5” when standing up properly, typically he looked around 6”-6’3” due to his poor posture of slouching though. “We drove you here and waited for you for 5 hours just to get ‘He’s stable’? I missed work for something as simple as that??” 

Papyrus huffed, straightening his posture. Before he could shoot back a snarky remark, you jumped in. “Stop it you two! You guys need to schedule a fight for a later date because now is not the time..” 

You sighed, standing between the two of them. Compared to them, you were a child with how short you were yet the most mature in this situation. “Today has been stressful for everyone..” 

Beau glanced down at you before grabbing his jacket and slipping it on. You watched with puffy eyes, a confused expression tracing its way onto your face. “What.. What are you doing, Beau?” 

He fixed his shoe before speaking. “Leaving. I have work this evening and a bus to catch if I wanna be there on time.” He tossed you your keys, Papyrus caught them though, expression unreadable as he watched Beau kiss your cheek and walk away. “Call if something changes, babe.” 

And like that, he left you.  
Papyrus made a ‘tch’ noise before handing you your keys. “If you want, you can see him or you can leave.” 

You looked up at Papyrus before nodding, taking his hand as he leads you to Sans’ room. 

Sans was sleeping peacefully in his bed, content without even knowing the number of things hooked up to him. You were amazed at the amount of machines around his form, even more amazed at the fact he was sleeping. It looked so foreign. The whole scene, really. Never in your wildest dreams did you think Sans, the sweetest and caring monster in the whole universe, would get.. Hurt. Tears welled up in your eyes, blurring your vision as you gripped a bed rail. It was so cold, the whole room was. Not even temperature-wise, it just left a bad feeling in your chest. Like, this was only temporary, not the good kind. “Does... Does he even know..?” 

Papyrus’s thumb ran against the back of the hand he was holding, staring at his brother intently. This must’ve not been easy for Papyrus right now, you thought, watching his brother have to breathe through a machine instead of doing it manually. “Yeah. He.. He was awake when they brought him in.” 

You closed your eyes, bowing your head. He was aware of it all, meaning he could feel the entire thing. You squeezed his hand, to let him know you were here with him. You also knew that Papyrus was the type that needed time, time to think and process his feelings, what happened, what to do stepping forward, and how it would affect the people involved. 

Sans stirred, and the alarms began beeping. You wiped your eyes and pulled Papyrus away, hurrying out of the room so the nurses and doctors had room to work. The two of you wondered the hall, talking quietly amongst yourselves but frivolous things. Something to keep each other engaged in, from your minds wandering back to the beeping machines and worried voices of the nurses. Your stomach growled and you sighed, rubbing it. 

“Lets go.” You looked up at Papyrus who was now looking for an exit. 

“Where? Shouldn’t.. We stay here?” You followed Papyrus to the elevator, standing next to him quietly as he pressed the ‘Level 1’ button. 

“The hospital will call me if something happens. Besides, I’ve kept you here all day.. you need to eat.” He looked down at you, grinning. You smiled back up at him, leaning against him. 

“I came here willingly, Paps..” He chuckled, the door dinging softly as it opened. He tugged you along, down the hall past the nurse station and into the parking garage to get to your car. “You driving or me?”

You hummed and stood over by the front seat passenger side of the car. Slowly opening the door. Papyrus took the hint and smiled, walking over to the drivers side to step in and turn on the car. 

Even though the day was shit, it.. was turning out okay. You sat in the car, thinking about that as you looked out the window, Papyrus talking about what the doctors said and cracked some hospital jokes, mentioning here and there ‘Sans would’ve really hated that one’. 

The car stopped in front of a Mexican restaurant. You stretched in the seat before looking at the sign. “Cinco Amigos? Wait.. is this a Hotel parking lot?” You looked around confused, blinking at your surroundings. Papyrus chuckled, turning the car off before stepping out. “Don’t knock it till you try it, kid.” 

Kid.. You were never a fan of that nickname. When you two first met, that was all he ever called you. You think it was because he often forgot your name but it seems that Sans helped drill it into his head at one point. There were always the occasional slip-ups though, you’d typically poke fun at him for it and he’d call you your actual name again. You think it was because of the child Papyrus grew to care for- You knew Chara was over at the Skelebrothers home often, babysitting for Asgore on his date nights. You’ve even met Chara on a few occasions. It shook you to your core when Sans first brought up how Chara was the one reason the monsters and humans were able to make a peace agreement. It was almost freaky how smart that kid was, but nonetheless, the conversation was easy and they were understanding. If only there were other kids like Chara.

Shaking your head, you stepped out and shut your car door, jogging up to Papyrus’s side. You decided not to poke fun at him today, seemed.. Like it would be in bad taste all things considered. “Is this your new hangout?” 

Papyrus made a ‘psh’ sound, waving his hand. “Maayybee..” 

An employee introduced herself, seeming delighted to see a familiar face. She seated you both at a booth. Papyrus slid in, as well as you, before he picked up a menu. When she walked away, he laid the menu back down. “Street Tacos.” 

You glanced up at him, then back at the menu in your hand. “.. What about them?” 

He snorts, taking your menu and laying it on top of his. “No, no.. You have to try the street tacos. It’s like heaven wrapped in a corn tortilla. Carnitas, Steak, or Chicken?”

Papyrus was usually right about these sort of things. You hummed softly as he stared at you like a giddy child, waiting for his mom to tell him that it’s okay to go to his friends house for the weekend. “(Meat choice).” 

Papyrus thrusted his fist into the air in a ‘hell yeah!’. You laughed at his childlike nature and watched as he talked about all the dishes he’s tried and which ones he wants you to try next time you guys come. 

Next time..?  
Your chest felt weird. It tightened when the thought repeated itself in your head. You blinked, finding the reaction weird but filed it away in your brain to think about later. “The Tilapia is really good too.” 

You smiled at him, pleased he found a safe heaven and took you to it in this desperate time. You both needed to relax after today’s events. A waitress came to the table and took your drink orders, Papyrus ordering a Mandarin Jarritos and you ordering a (Drink of choice).

“This place is pretty cool. How did you find it? It’s like.. tucked behind a Waffle House and Verizon.” Not to mention, it was beside a Hotel too. Papyrus grinned, rubbing his skull in a sheepish manner before crossing his arms and leaning back into his chair. “Well.. I was actually bar hopping with some guys from work and we accidentally found this place. We were just— completely smashed and some Mexican food sounded amazing at the time so we came in and the staff were really nice. I’ve been coming back here since, took Sans here too..” 

You knawed at your bottom lip, silence growing between the two of you before you spoke up, breaking the awkward silence. “Did he like it?” You knew Sans was a taco fanatic, if he saw how enthusiastic Papyrus was about these Tacos he would’ve been the same. 

“Yeah! He’s actually the reason why I know the street tacos are so good. He spotted them and ordered them for us. I had chicken and he had steak.” The waitress sat your drinks down and new bowl of chips, Paps thanked her. 

“That’s nice, Paps. It’s really sweet of you to have brought him here, y’know. I’m sure he appreciated it. Hey- maybe tomorrow we should stop here and pick some up. Maybe sneak some Carnitas tacos in for him? He’ll probably hate the hospital food.” You snickered, Papyrus laughed as well. He seemed to lighten up, which in your opinion, you aimed for that. 

Your phone began buzzing like crazy in your jacket pocket, catching you off guard from how high you practically jumped in your seat. Papyrus burst out laughing, waving you off, pointing towards the door that led to the bathroom area. Once off in a quiet area, you answered your phone. 

“Hey babe.” Beau seemed tired but semi happy. “How’s Sans?” 

You sighed. “He’s.. stable. I mean, that’s really all you can say about the situation. Papyrus snuck me in to see him and..” That lump in your throat was growing back again. Guilt began sweeping your mind as you listened to happy people down the hall, someone was having their birthday here. 

“What’s that noise??” Beau seemed to be walking, as if he were trying to get to a quieter area himself. 

“Papyrus and I were hungry so we stopped at a restaurant.” You should’ve lied. You should’ve just said you were walking out of the hospital now. 

“.. What? What the hell are you doing at a restaurant with him?” For fucks sake not this again. You leaned against a wall, chest growing tight. 

“Beau, it’s been a shit day. I haven’t eaten anything nor has he, what did you expect? Can’t you cut him a break?” This was useless. The talking, arguing, it was all..

Useless.

Beau was so set in his ways that Papyrus was a bad guy and that he was out to get him and to fuck you over. You’ve been a bad relationship before, Beau watched it happen and made a vow not to be like those other guys. Yet here he was, pissed off over the fact that you and your friend were having dinner after being at the hospital the entire day. 

“No! I’m not cutting anyone a break! I put my neck out on the line today, almost got me fired! I can’t even get answers for what happened today, just that he’s stable!” Beau was absolutely fuming. You laid your hand on your hip, growing more pissed by the second. 

“Fucking monsters..” You snapped at that. He just poured gasoline on the fire— you’ve had enough.

“Shut. The. Fuck. Up.” You growled into the phone, FURIOUS that he would dare say such a terrible thing. 

“I’ve had it! You say he’s out to fuck YOU over? Hell, you’ve been out to fuck him over! All you ever talk about is how much you hate him and how he’s such a sketchy guy when all he’s done is been there for me when you’ve been busy with your friends or at work! You promised me you wouldn’t be like the others Beau, you promised, but I’ve had it! Day in and day out, you have a bad night at work and talk about how some drunk girl was quote on quote all over you but you wouldn’t let her near you because you were a sweet, loyal boyfriend—“ Your tone was condescending, you knew this was cutting him like a knife, but you had enough of his behavior. Enough of the lies, the broken promises, the negativity. “You’re anything but that. Today was probably the first day in three months that you’ve been anywhere near nice or caring, but even then, here we are.. you throw it in MY face like you belong on some golden fucking pedestal! Leave me the fuck alone and loose my number, asshat! You’re picking your shit up tomorrow!!” 

You ended the phone call, leaning back against the wall as you gasped for breath. You slid down said wall, placing your head on your knees as you covered your face. Should.. you’ve gone easy on him? No.. it wasn’t right the way he spoke to you and treated Papyrus— hell, spoke of him. If he didn’t respect who you were friends with he probably didn’t respect you.. 

“Hey, you okay?” You jolted, staring up at Papyrus who was currently squatted down beside you. Even now, he was still taller than you. 

Today’s events were too much for you to handle. You knew you were going down hill the second the floor was too cold this morning.. 

Papyrus gave a concerned expression before sighing and taking a seat next to you. “I caught the tail end of the conversation. Y’know, you’re a real spitfire when you’ve had enough of someones shit— I respect that. Though, I am surprised I haven’t caught it from you..” 

You laughed. Then began to cry, sob even. Papyrus stared at you in confusion, staring in utter bewilderment at the sudden burst of emotional energy coming off of you. 

It’s been a struggle with Beau. It’s been a struggle since the beginning but you thought you were strong enough. But you realized in that moment that you weren’t Wonder Woman, that you were you. Y/N. The lump in your throat finally popped, hot tears pouring down your face like you watched your favorite pet get hit. Papyrus was.. unsure. Sans was emotional, very emotional, but.. you? He knew you. He knew you were a strong human. But.. 

Did you break? Years of bottled up emotions and regret finally bursting? You didn’t know, you didn’t want to. You couldn’t address that fact in this moment, words were hard to form between sobs. Papyrus wrapped an arm around you, pulling you into him, close. You cried into his orange hoodie, mumbling apologies over and over. He just rubbed your back, quietly. Softly. Gently. 

Once your tear ducts were dried, you sniffled, pulling away from him. “.. I don’t cry.” Papyrus chuckled at your words.

“What do you humans call THAT then?” The both of you laughed, by silence came back between the two of you. 

“I don’t cry infront of people. It’s.. never been my thing.” You stared at your hands now settled in your lap. Papyrus sighed, reaching over to pat your knee. 

“Humans and monsters.. are the same in ways. You.. You shouldn’t bottle up your emotions, Y/N.” You glanced at him. He was staring up at the popcorn ceiling of the hall. “.. It hurts your soul. Damages it in ways you can’t imagine.. makes it harder for you to love yourself, let alone someone else.” He looked over at you with a saddened smile. 

You stared at him, really looked at him. Your chest tightened slightly, once again. You opened your mouth to say something but he stood up before you could, dusting himself off. He offered you a hand and you graciously took it, him helping you to your feet. “Let’s go eat. Food usually takes the edge off of a bad situation.” You snorted at the comment and followed him back into the restaurant to the booth. 

The dinner was delicious and you basked in the savoriness of it. From the taco shell to the meat— it was to die for. “You weren’t kidding about these tacos.” 

Papyrus snickered at the comment, dipping his spoon into the vanilla ice cream. “Do I know food or do I know food?” He have a lopsided grin before he took a bite.

“You are pretty good when it comes to knowing which restaurants are the best and which dishes too. Is this a secret talent of yours, Mr. Foody?” You sat your own spoon down, signaling that you were tapping out of eating anything else for the evening. 

“Nyeh-“ He coughed, covering up the noise he made. “Aheh- Yeah, I guess so. Food is just something I really enjoy.” You nodded, wanting to question the initial ‘laugh’ but filed it away in your brain to ask at a later time. 

“Oh man.. it’s eleven pm.. We should go.” You frowned slightly at your comment, disappointed the fun had to end. Maybe you should hang out with Papyrus one on one more often? Yeah.. that would be pretty nice, actually.

“That’s right— shit, forgot you had work in the morning. Head out to the car, get it warmed up while I pay.” You nodded and snatched the keys as he tossed them to you. You jogged out of the restaurant and out to your car. Before opening the car door, you paused. Looking up at the sky, it was clear. Nothing but the sky, the moon, and millions of stars. The frigid cold of early March too. 

It was beautiful. 

You smiled, staring up at it for a moment to admire its beauty. You often forgot how beautiful it was. 

With a deep inhale, you turned the car on and slipped inside to turn the heat on, seat warmers too, before slipping back out and over to the passenger seat. While waiting for Paps you decided to scroll through your phone.

Upon turning it on you realized Beau tried calling you five times and sent 13 text messages. “Fuck..” Guilt hit you like a wave, following up with anger and resentment. You scrolled through the messages them random with emotion. A few passive-aggressive, downright hateful, and the rest sad. Papyrus knocked on the driver’s side window to grab your attention. Unlocking the car, he got in and shivered, making a ‘eugh’ sound. “Chilly out tonight.”

“I thought skeletons couldn’t be affected by weather?” You looked at him curiously. He snorts. “What made you think that?” The conversation.. pretty much ended there. You felt rather dumb thinking he couldn’t but even more questions bubbled up in your head. 

You shoved them away, stuffing them in a metaphorical box to open up and unpack another time. The drive home was easygoing. He asked about your plan with Beau and what had happened. You gave a very brief summary of what happened (deciding to exclude the racist bit) and that you planned on changing your locks tomorrow and how he was picking his belongings up tomorrow as well. 

“Jeez.. I knew the guy was kinda a prick but man.. he’s an asshole. I do have to say, I’m impressed with your plan. Have you.. been thinking about this?” You didn’t respond immediately. Had you? Certainly not.. that would’ve been considered stringing him along. Humming, you responded.

“Not.. entirely. I’ve had ex’s like him before. I just know how to handle this type of thing, y’know?” Papyrus nodded in understanding. Pulling into a parking spot infront of the apartment building, you both sat in silence as the car engine purred. 

“.. You know, I can make sure to stick around tomorrow afternoon in case there’s trouble.” You looked over at him, before smiling. 

“I think I’d like that.” 

Papyrus bid a good night as the two of you entered your apartments. The door clicking behind you made you sigh. Walking into your bedroom, you slipped your clothes off and grabbed a t-shirt, getting into bed.

For once in your life, you floated into a dreamless sleep. Something you’ve needed for a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading the chapter, lovelies! 
> 
> Come chat/ask me stuff on my tumblr!  
> https://skullsntea.tumblr.com/
> 
> I love hearing about what you guys think!!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Thanks for reading the Prologue!  
> If you’re interested in asking my questions on my tumblr blog, here’s the link!  
> https://skullsntea.tumblr.com/
> 
> And if interested in my art, here’s the link!  
> https://www.deviantart.com/skullsntea  
> <33


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